Oil-well packer.



P. H. MACK.

OIL WELL PACKER. APPLICATION" FILED Mov- 23.1915,

Patented Dec. 4

PATRICK H. MACK, 01E BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T OIL WELL SUPPLY 01F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 01E PENNSYLV orn-wnnn rncnnn.

tan er.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dee... I, IWL'I...

Application filed November 38, 1915. Serial No. 62,963.

I To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, PATRICK H. MACK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bradford, in the county of McKe'an and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oilell Packers, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to improvements in' lo pacln'ng structures for deep wells, such for instance as oil wells, and is designed more particularly for certain conditions which may be met 'in sinking and operating oil wells.

to When the well is driven through two or more sands and it is desired to produce oil from said sands, difliculty has heretofore been experienced due to oil from the upper sand or. sands running down and roducing a clogging or parafining e ect,

thereby tending to materially reduce the production. The present invention is designed to overcome this dificulty by providing a simple and eihcient structure whereby the upper -oil bearing sand is kept flooded with oil and the overflow therefrom passed into said structure and then to the pumping pocket of the well.

Among the ob eots of the present invenso tion are, to provide a simple and eficient overflow packing structure; an overflow packer that may be set and maintained in the desired position by the pum ing tubing; a construction whereby a plurality of over- 3tflow packers may be successfully employed in a single well, and means for converting a non-overflow packer into an overflow packer. To these and other ends, my inventlon consists in the improved construction and recombination of parts'hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

'- Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a well showing a packing structure for f overflow purposes in position-there1n, the

packing structure employing the present in vention.

.'-g.-Iig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of packing structure shown in lEig. 1. Fig; 3 'is across sectional v1ew taken on the lme-3'3ot Fig. 2.

' In the drawing, a represents a an up er @Sttnd, b the am. at

fi'om which the oil is be ng pumped, and c an intermediate stratum betwezzen these sands, the well being indicated at 10 indicates a tube on which the various parts of the packer are mounted, 11 a rubber packing, and 12 the slip structures, these being of the general type of well packers adapted to be set by superimposed weight. The elements 10, 11 and 12 are commonly employed in well packers, the individual element being varied by diflerent manufacturers. In each instance, however, there is generally present a cap through which pressure is exerted on the rubber packing to expand the same, either by a threading action or by weight. In the form shown in the drawing, the setting of the packer is acc0merably formed asshown in the drawings,

having an internal thread 13* for securing the pumping pipe sections to the cap, the upper section 14: entering the top of the. cap, the lower section 14 entering the bottom of the cap,'-the cap serving to join these sections the usual cap together to form a continuous passageway through the packer, section 14 preferably extending downward to the pumping pocket, while section 14 leads upward to the top of the well. Obviously, the sections'lt and 141 simply represent strings of pipe connected miredv length.

together to produce the r Cap 13 is also provided wit an external thread 13 adapted to receive the lower end of a tubular structure 15-ofsuitable length,

I the upper end of this structure being pro.-

vided, with an inlet for oil. l

In the form shown in he drawing, the

inlet is'provided by a'plurality of openingstoo 15' extending on asingle horizontal plane, these openings, as shown in Fig. 1,

substantially on or slightly above the top plane of the upper sand.- of the structure 15 is preferably closedby The upper end suitable means, that shown being a'cap16 the cap or cover hem to prevent the enthreaded to the structure, the purpose of trance of earthy material into the interior of the structure 15.v

The structure 15 may be in the form of a single member or it may be a built-up tubular structure, such for instance as might be providedby connecting pipe sections together, a structure which can be readily assembled in the field. The length of this structure would obviously depend upon the thickness of the sand stratum or strata, ap-

- proximating the length of the zone which is to be maintained flooded. As shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, the cap 13 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending openings 17, these being preferably arranged in a circle between the planes of the threads 13 and 13, and are adapted to afford open communication between the interior of the structure 15 and the interior of tube 10. As a result, any oil which enters the structure 15 through openings 15 passes through the openings 17 into the open channel formed by the interior of tubelO and the exterior of section 14 of the tubing through which pumping is had, this channel having its lower end open to the well below the packer, enabling the oil so passed to reach the .pumping pocket. Obviously, a separate packer structure may be employed for each upper sand, the overflow from one sand passing'into the oil of the sand below, and passing onward'through the succeeding packer. As a result, the oil may be obtained from a plurality of sands, each of the upper sands being maintained flooded.

The cap may also be provided with external threads 13, thus enabling the cap to be employed in connection with ordinary casing where this overflow feature is not necessary or desired, or where it is desired to set the packer other than by the pumping tubing. 7

Since the outfit of a well drilling crew generally includes one or more packers of the usual type, as well as tubing, it will be readily understood that, to meet service conditions involving the overflow feature,

it would be necessary only to carry a cap 13 in stock, the usual cap of a packer being taken oil and cap 13 placed in position. The length of the zone to be maintained flooded being known, the structure 15 can bereadily fabricated, after which the top of the structure is closed, either by the cap 16 or other suitable cover, cap 15 being loose onthe tubing 14. As the testingof the well will indicate the point where it is desired that the packer be located, the section 14* will be.

built up to the proper length, the structure 15 attached to the cap, and the pipe 14 connected to the upper end of the cap. When the packer has reached its proper position, the slips are released in the well known manner, and the packet set, thus not only providing for the isolation of the.upper sands, but also completing the pumping tubing line and anchoring the latter by the packer.

in connection with the overflow feature' which the invention is designed to provide.

What I claim is 1. The combination with the pumping tubing of an oil well, of means for retaining a flooded condition in the sand above the pumping sand and for delivering oil from the flooded sand to the pumping sand comprising a packer-structure surrounding the pumping tubing and including a tubular body-member, a packing member and a cap, and an upwardly projecting apertured tubular member secured to the cap, said cap having a passage connecting the interiors of the upwardly projecting member and the body member exterior of the pumping tubin 2. The combination with the sectional pumping tubing of an oil well, of a packer structure surrounding the tubing and carried thereby including a packing-member, a body-member and a cap secured to the upper end of the body-member, said cap having means for coupling adjacent pumping tubing sections, and an apertured tubular member projecting upwardly from the cap and secured thereto, said cap having a passage therein in communication with the projecting tubular member and the body-member. 4

3. The combination with the pumping tubing of anoil well, a packer structure surrounding the pumping tubing and including a tubular body-member, a packingmember and a cap, and an upwardly projecting apertured tubular member secured to the cap, said cap having a plurality of passages connecting the interiors of the up- .wardly projecting member and the body diameter than the packing member secured to and projecting upwardly from the cap.

5. In packing structures for oil wells, a packing member, and a cap located at the upper end of the packer, said cap having a threaded opening adapted to receive and engage tubing sections, said cap being perforated in the direction of its length to provide for passage of'oil from above the cap weasel engage tubing sections, said cap being per-' forated in the direction of its length to provide for passage of oil from above the cap to the interior of and through the packer, said cap also being externally threaded to permit the attachment of an upwardly extending tubular member, said member being external of and spaced from the tubing to form an annular chamber adapted to receive oil from sand above the packer.

7. In packing structures for Oll Wells, a

packing member, and a cap located at the upper end of the packer, said cap having a threaded opening adapted to receive and engage tubing sections, said cap being perforated in the direction of its length to provide for passage of oil from above the cap to the interior of and through the packer,

- and a. tubular member threaded to said cap and projecting upwardly therefrom external of and spaced from the tubing, said member being perforated intermediate its ends to permit the passage of oil into said chamber, and means for closin the upper end of said chamber against tie entrance of sand and earth.

8. In packing structures for oil wells, a packing member, and a cap'located at the upper end of the packer, said cap having a threaded opening adapted to receive and engage tubing sect ons, said cap being perforated in the direction of its length to provide for passage of oil from above the cap to the interior of and throughvthepa cker, and a tubular member threaded to said cap and projecting upwardly therefrom external of and spaced from the tubing, said member being perforated intermediate its ends to-permit the passage of oil into said chamber, and means for closing the upper end of said member against the entrance ofsand and earth, said latter means being in the form of a cap threaded to the upper flow packer into an overflow flow packer into an overflow packer comprising a cap adapted to be substituted for the endwise pressure-imparting cap of the non-overflow packer and having means to permit passage of fluid therethrough independent of the normal fluid flow path, said cap having aninternal threaded opening to receive and engage tubing sections, and also having anexternal threaded portion adapted to receive and engage upwardly projecting tubing controlling the point of oil overflow.

10. Means for transforming a non-overacker comprising a cap adapted to be su stituted for the endwise pressure-imparting cap of the non-overflow packer, said cap having an internal threaded opening to receive and engage tubing sections, and also having an external threaded portion adapted to' receive and engage upwardly projecting tubing controlling the point of oil overflow,

sald cap being perforated longitudinally between said threaded portions to permit of the passage of the overflow oil through the packer.

11. Means for transforming a non-overflow packer into an overflow packer coming controlling the point of oil overflow,

said cap being perforated longitudinally between said threaded portions topermit of the passage of the overflow oil through the packer, said cap having additionally an external threaded portion adapted to receive'acasing section. v I

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

PATRICK I-I. CK, Witnesses:

W. E. BURDICK, FINETTA G. MCFADDEN. 

